Automaton in the form of a chariot pushed by a Chinese attendant and set with a clock

James Cox

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

James Cox produced lavishly ornamented articles for trade with Asia. In China, his products were well-received and called “toys” or “sing-songs.” Originally one of a pair, this automaton was commissioned by the English East India Company for presentation to the emperor of China. The chariot’s wheels are driven by a spring, and tiny levers activate the whirligig held in the lady’s left hand and the wings of the bird in her right.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art